


An unfolding of miscalculations.

by okelay



Category: Original Work
Genre: Harry Potter inspired, M/M, agent carter inspired, world war ii inspired, x men inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2162496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okelay/pseuds/okelay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story of young orphans during war time and the choices they make, the paths they lead and how they interesect.</p>
<p>mild romance as a secondary plot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An unfolding of miscalculations.

PROLOGUE  
When the war started, the government meant for it to be short. they’d been under the threat of this lunatic with delusions of grandeur for too long and would not stand for it any longer, they proclaimed. it was time to fight back.  
and everyone was pleased,after living in fear of invasion to do something proactive. people rushed out into the streets offering support, young people happily volunteer into the army to take the fight to them. older people, especially those with children to support or whose children had gone into the army went into fabrics to support those fighting.  
newspapers talked about the bribery of their citizens,about how this great nation would not be assimilated.   
Their great leader spoke out about the bravery of their souls and how they’d fight on the beaches and the streets, on air and land and oceans, and how they’d never surrender til the enemy was beaten back and everyone felt better,braver and more worthy of living with such a leader.  
Going into war didn’t seem to bad when you thought about defending your country and your family and every brave soul back home. if felt noble.  
People would die, but it was a cause worth defending,worth dying for.  
...and then the years passed.  
and true,they were not defeated. they did beat the enemy back. but not enough. it was never enough. people kept dying. some due to sheer exhaustion from fighting for too long.   
people were tired of fighting.  
after 10,20 years, it didn’t feel like a noble cause anymore. hardly anyone remembered why they were fighting. what had been the first offence or the final straw for war to break out.   
and it didn’t really matter. war was what they knew now.  
kids were considered lucky when they’d actually met at least one of their parents. too many were children of soldiers who’d died and who grew up to be soldiers themselves and sometimes they’d have children before they went off to war. nobody needed a reason to enlist anymore. it was the army or the factories. there was little else to life.  
other children were taken by the government to be educated, often trained to be special soldiers or spies or whatever else was necessary. child soldiers did not lead very happy lives but no one did anymore and this children were happy to be useful. to have a place and a mission.   
The goverment worries about whole family lines being exterminated, refusing army entry to at least one to offer them a chance at survival but not everyone took it.eager to serve or die or get revenge,it was hard to tell.  
No one can see an end to the war,to the fighting, it seems impossible at this stage. civilization is crumbling and it seems unstoppable. newspapers talk about the war ending cause no one will be left to fight.   
Emily Fitzosborne, having grown up under the government's tutelage, knew the state of the world was rather frightening.she’d shown an aptitude for espionage early on and so had seen and done some awful things, but she didn’t care because she’d been following on her parents’ footsteps and having nothing but a photo and their records, it made her feel better. during her life she’d been closed off and had grown rather cynical until she’d met Frankie Mulligan who’d quickly become a very close friend and she’d actually used previously ignored leave days to visit him and family. they eventually entered flight school together and married upon graduation at age 20. he went on to become a pilot while she went back to intelligence work. a couple of years after this,during a recon mission, his plane was shot down over enemy airspace and he was captured and later killed. she is currently seeking the man who gave the orders.  
Lord Henry Durham Evans,known as Harry to his few friends, had a different world view. he still believes in humanity, still has faith the world can be saved,that there can be an end to the fight. he grew up up as an only child until age 7 when his parents brought home a boy named Thomas who they’d met when they all survived the train wreck where Thomas’ parents were killed. They grew up as brothers and enrolled in the army at 17 but a few years later the Lord and Lady Evans were killed in a car crash and Harry was forced cut his army career short to take care of the estate. he wished to keep his parents’ legacy alive, caring for his servants and the nearby village. later on,wishing to be useful, he started teaching, and is a great historian and strategist . 

 

 

Act I  
Her first approach to tracking the next upcoming evil overlord was simple, shoot first and ask later. but it didn't work this time. people were too scared or didn't know or they'd rather die than talk. some did. It was strange. this man seemed strange. his operation almost seemed like a cult. a violent one.so she needed to find a weakness. and for that, she needed to resort to when he was still human.which is how she found herself facing the big country house where he'd grown up, which was quite busy. people all around putting things in boxes and arguing over what went where.  
She walked right in through the wide open front door. after looking in a couple of rooms she found a woman who seemed to be in charge.  
"Excuse me" she spoke up  
She looked up from her clipboard at her with very cold eyes  
"Who are you?" she asked, with an edge to her voice "what are you doing here? and how did you get in?"  
"I am Emily Fitzosborne.I'm here to see Mr Evans. and the front door was open"  
"That is no excuse to walk into a private residence. and Lord Henry Durham Evans is busy. do you have an appointment?"  
"He should be expecting me,yes."  
The severe woman led her to a small room with a few couches that seems undisturbed  
"You can wait here while I see if he can receive you"  
Emily sat down. the woman looked at her disapprovingly once more before disappearing.

"Miss Fitzosborne,I'm sorry to have kept you waiting"  
Lord Evans turned out to be a young man of slim build with a definite academic feel, Emily observed.  
"Not to worry" she told him "It seems I've arrived while you're leaving?"  
He smiled, and it was a very charming smile.  
"Oh,I am in the middle of a project which I fear might take me far from home." he mentioned, waving his hand to downplay its importance  
"But I am more curious as to what you are doing here, after all, persons of your talents and importance rarely visit simple people like me"  
She couldn't help but laugh."I doubt simple is a word often used to describe you,Lord Evans."  
"please,call me Harry"  
Definitely flirting,she thought   
"Well,Harry, I am here cause I need your help. I am also in the middle of a very sensitive project and you would be of invaluable assistance. it is a rather delicate subject,though,concerning someone who used to live here. perhaps we could talk somewhere privately"  
He nodded,and stood up. "follow me,miss" he said, and he seemed more somber than he'd been only a few moments ago.  
A few staircases and hallways later they arrived at what she pressumed to be his study.  
He indicated for her to sit and closed the door before taking a seat behind the desk  
"This is about Thomas,isn't it?" he asked after a few seconds  
She nodded,somewhat solemnly. the world had shifted when he had spoken his name. she thought he'd just been someone living in the state. little more than a servant. she'd hope he knew him enough to help,at least provide context or any leads, but the way he'd known immediately why she was here, the way he'd mentioned the name,not like someone pulling old boxes down from the attic but with actual worry and affection and no small amount of pain.It was the way you spoke of someone you loved.  
And that meant she had to change her approach. that meant he was more important than she'd thought, perhaps she'd found the last shred of humanity connecting a villain to his soul.  
"May I ask, what can you tell me about him?"  
"That is a very broad,and somewhat personal question,Miss. it might be best if you tell me what has he done now"  
"Well, he's in trouble. When was the last time you heard from him?"  
He swallowed,giving himself a moment before speaking  
"it's been about a year since we've had a letter" a beat. she bets he knows exactly how long it's been.he got up and went to a cupboard by the window. he took out a clear bottle with an amber liquid and poured himself as glass as he spoke "even before that contact was unusual."he sipped his drink and walked back to his chair "months would go by without letters and he never spoke of what he was doing. in his last letter he said he had a big chance but it was dangerous and he wouldn't be able to write if he got in." he took another sip. a big one.

"And nothing more?"  
"Nothing. shouldn't you be talking about this with his commanding officer?"  
"I did. I wanted to know if he's contacted you"  
"He hasn't. I did write to his CO to ask,several times,might I add, but I was told the details were classified"  
"they are. I have been authorised to tell you if you agree to sign non-disclosure agreements"  
"First, I have a few questions"  
"Do ask, cooperation is important,I'll answer what I can"  
"Is he alive?"  
"As far as we know,yes"  
"And how far do you know?"  
"Not very far, I must say"  
"So you want to help him?"  
"Perhaps once you learn the details of what he has been up to you'll see why that is a complicated question"  
"Alright. tell me this,then. are you going after him?"  
"That is indeed the plan. that is why I need your help"  
"I see. and you do have a plan besides wanting to go after him? do you have a team?"  
"Not really. which is why I'm here"  
"That was a good decision."with one last gulp, he finished his drink "I'll help, but with one condition. I'm coming with you"  
"I'm not sure if that'll be possible. we'd need to train you and this mission is time-sensitive"  
"I'm not a fool,Miss Fitzosborne. I've known this was coming. did you know it was me who convinced him to join? we did basic training together. he went on to build a career. I came back to my dusty books. What I'm saying is that I am trained"  
"I'm not sure having someone with such a personal connection is a good idea"  
"It probably isn't,you are correct there. but you came to me for help. and I am willing to provide it. but only to help him. and as I see it, that means coming with you"  
"I'll have to talk to my superiors,I don't know if they'll allow a civilian"  
He pulled open a drawer in his desk and took out a file, handing it to her "I'm not technically a civilian"  
"I'll devise a plan, help you put together a team,fund this whole expedition if necessary, but only if I get to come along. and if you don't let me do that,I'll just have to go on my own. why do you think the house is in such a mess? you came at just the right time"  
"Very well, I'll talk to my superiors"  
"Go ahead, I'm going to get a cup of tea. anything for you?"  
"I'm good"  
About 30 minutes later she came down the stairs and was directed to the kitchen where he was having a cup of tea and a piece of cake  
"Do you want anything,Miss?" asked one of the maids  
She smiled and was about to refuse when her stomach made a little noise  
"I think I'll have a piece of that cake,thank you"  
"Very well,miss. and some tea to wash it down?"  
She nodded "sure. that'd be wonderful"  
she sat down  
"My superiors were actually happy to hear you're coming with me. I would so far as to they say they were relieved. what is that about?"  
He smiled, graciously."I'm very popular"  
"The lord here is a legend with the soldiers,miss" said the young maid while serving her cake and tea "I don't know the details but he's quite the hero it seems"  
He laughed at that. I'm sure they're exaggerating. I wasn't in uniform long enough to be either"  
"Whatever the case is" she says, already planning on how to extract the details later, "they want us to go back to HQ as soon as possible for debriefing"  
They take the train the next day.  
It's a long ride and Harry fills her in on some of his and Thomas' history, but only by demanding she disclose her own history. it's only fair,he says.  
So he tells her the details of how Thomas came to live with his family, about the train crash that killed his parents, about how he could hardly remember them, he wanted to avenge them, about them growing up as brothers and the mischief they got up to. he talks little about the army, but he does mention his time was cut short due to his parents' deaths and how Thomas told him he had to go back home and take care of things so that he'd have a home to go back to. he talks fondly of him.  
She listens, trying to reconcile what she's read about him with this story. and then she tells him about her life, about the bomb that killed her parents, about growing up in the orphanage and how she was found by the army and brought in as part of their experiment on training children to become spies.about her lack of family til she met frankie and his own extensive family. about how they adopted her. and how they were all so worried about frankie being a fighter pilot. half the family in uniform and everyone was most worried about frankie, she always found that funny for some reason. now that several of them are dead or missing and even their home was destroyed it's hard to remember why.  
Harry encourages to talk more about Frankie's family. at first she wants to talk about the tragedy that befell the family but he convinces her to go back,to when they were happy. about the summers she spent with them, cooking with his mum,playing with his sisters ,going hunting with his dad and the family football matches of sundays.  
She hadn't thought about that in forever, she tells him. she thanks him, because sometimes you're so surrounded by tragedy it's hard to remember there was ever any happiness. like so many others, she hardly has a reason to fight anymore. she just doesn't know what else to do.  
They don't talk about the future. no one ever talks about the future.  
She does remember she and frankie did and she thinks that was what doomed them.  
It probably doomed Thomas as well.  
ACT II  
HQ was Harry's first trial. it was there when,after signing many papers, he was finally told why they were after Thomas,why Emily had come looking for him. some new info had surfaced about a new leader rising up in the enemy forces, a young,charming man, with the face of an angel, capable of the most terrible acts. they called him the fallen angel.  
They'd been following the rumours for a while and some pictures had appeared on their radar the week before. it took them a few days but the identified the man in the pictures as Thomas Herschel, a man who had been previously reported as missing from their ranks. they wanted Harry to formally id him, which he did, in shock. the pictures were black and white and grainy but it was him. he no longer wore his country's colours but worn fatigues.  
At this point, Harry asked how could this happen. how could someone who'd signed up wanting to avenge his parents change sides? how could he suddenly developed such bloodlust?  
The officials were forced the admit they did not know how this was possible. here, Emily spoke up, saying she and others believed they were torturing POWs with the intent of breaking them. of reprogramming them. a turned enemy was an ally who knew your enemy's secrets.  
Harry latched on to this possibility. there was no other way Thomas would ever turn.  
Part of his mind did wonder. he'd always been ambitious and he'd sounded frustrated with the lack of action in his letters. maybe the enemy had promised him something better?  
He asked all of the details of Thomas' assignments and he spoke with his CO and former mates, all of whom seemed shocked at this turn of events, at least those who knew of them.  
They formulated a plan there about travelling to the last place the rumours had been heard and look for him. make some noise in order to attract soldiers.  
They were given weapons and gadgets and a couple of people volunteered to accompany them but they refused. the fewer they were the better. Emily would be giving the orders and acting as communications officer while Harry must keep a log of their actions and act as medic if anything went wrong.  
This was a dangerous zone so they couldn't go in go blazing dressed in shiny uniforms.  
Discretion was required as it was enemy soil and they couldn't be certain of rescue. they were given a signal to broadcast if their mission was successful or if imminent rescue was required  
After debriefing, Harry was required to take a quick refresher course and be signed back onto active duty. he knew arguing would be pointless so he spent three days running and jumping and shooting in order to qualify.everyone was impressed. he'd kept himself in shape and his abilities were intact.  
Emily remembered he said he had been training.  
After nearly a week in headquarters they boarded a train that was to take them deep into the conflict, to the most dangerous area in the planet at the moment, and given their current war-ridden state, that was saying a lot.in the train, Harry confided in Emily he was worried about what he'd learned at HQ. something didn't add up, he said. he had the feeling someone knew more than they were telling. his mind screamed about a conspiracy but he didn't know what it regarded.

Something happens while they travel.  
It's slow progress, and sometimes fruitless and they talk to pass the time.like in their first long journey by train, what feels like a million years ago even though only a few months have passed.they talk of things that they remember fondly. people and places and food and any old memory that is pleasing to share.  
Emily learns of Harry's parents and of the many orphans they helped and what great people they were. she learns of how Harry's father was a soldier for a while while his mother a fighter pilot. how they wanted a quieter life after that. how he wasn't sure about signing up at first, but felt duty-bound.  
Thomas comes up a lot. at first, he tries not to mention him too much cause he knows Emily blames him for frankie's death. but he's such a big part the gap is obvious, so Emily tells him it's ok to talk about him.and young Thomas comes to life in Harry's stories the same way frankie does in hers.it's strange reconciling the stories with the cold,terrible young man they hear about. the devil with the angelic face.their long travels and remembering heartwarming stories, even if they feature an angel before he fell, they start making her feel more human again.she talks more than about frankie. she talks about his sisters and how she'd never had that experience, not in the orphanage and definitely not in the training school where everybody was out to get you.but frankie's sisters were like her own litle sisters. and she hasn't heard of them in over 2 years, she doesn't even know if they're alive.she wants to think they'll reunite after the war is over but she doesn't believe she'll live to see that.

ACT III  
Late one night, Harry sits watching the bonfire. he can't sleep.he's been having trouble for a while.he keeps having nightmares. in some, he kills Thomas. in others, Thomas kills him.sometimes they're mixed with memories, like him falling off a tree except this time Thomas pushed him and ran away.he wonders if this is his fault, if he should've seen it coming. He knew something was off from his letters.He wonders if he should've kept Thomas around after his parents died instead of leaving him alone.  
Emily wakes up and goes to him. they talk. he tells her stories of their adventures. nothing major, just good memories and how the dreams mess them up.she says she has them too. frankie blaming her for his death, or for not taking care of his family, or frankie in the enemy forces.he asks about how he died. she'd only said it was in action, that he crashed and was captured,very vague. no details.this time she tells him everything.how he was running recon in his plane at night and they shot him down, captured him and then tortured him. how they keep his radio on and they kept on talking, taunting him and taunting those hearing the recording.how his last words were to her, saying he loved her and that he was sorry.   
Harry tells her she must've listened to it a lot. when asked how he knew that, he replied he'd read Thomas' last letter thousands of times.another night find Harry unable to sleep again. he's staring at the bonfire, trying to decide what to do.for the first time in months, it's not Thomas at the forefront of his thoughts. at the moment,he's more worried about Emily and how she seems to be losing herself, being far more violent and vicious than necessary. he knows grief does strange things to people but he hates to see her kill so easily every enemy combatant or even suspected enemy they see.she gets up again,during the wolf hour and goes to him.  
"You need sleep,Harry." she tells him   
"I get enough" he lies, and she knows it, but she lets it go. "anything on particular keeping you up?"  
He looks up at her "you,actually"  
she sits down next to him, worried  
"I do hope you're not about to proclaim your love for me, that'd be weird" she jokes, trying to defuse the tension  
He blushes a little "no,no,nothing like that....i mean, you're lovely and I've grown fond of you but, yeah, no"  
He shakes his head "I'm just worried"  
"About me?" she asks, curious  
"Well, yes. I don't want you to get mad, but I am a bit concerned how...violent you've been lately"  
"w0what do you mean?" she asked,narrowing her eyes  
"I mean that you've killed a lot of people!" he said, raising his voice a little  
She shrugged "they were bad guys"  
He grimaced at this response "they were still people. and I'm worried about your cavalier attitude to such widespread murder. some of them weren't even soldiers"  
"I'm just cleaning our tracks"  
"Is it really the only way"  
"It's the best way I know"  
"I know you want revenge but killing everyone you come across does not seem like a good idea"  
"Why not? you fight in a war, death is the most likely outcome"  
"True, but you don't have to dispense it. does it even make you feel better"  
At this point, she hung her head,smiling sadly "not really. not for very long"  
Harry took a sip of his cold tea. he had to say something not great  
"I know you won't care,but I have to say this. the revenge you seek will not bring you peace."  
She looked up and him and smiled sadly again "you are a good man, Harry. you have a very compassionate heart. you should not be here. war is a nasty business. and you're an innocent so you don't know. but I do. I've been fighting for a long time, and I've long given up on finding peace. there is none to be found.only death and the hope it will bring rest and peace."  
She’s gone in the morning. there’s only a note that says that he should go back home, back to his life while he still has one. he crumbles the note and follows her instead.  
After a few months of travelling, Harry felt he'd gotten to know Emily rather well but he wondered if he knew the real ohe,because he knew grief could change a person and he was concerned about whether her intensity was normal or something that had developed during this quest for revenge, and he had no one to ask.he’d debated how best to talk to her, cause he knew he had to do it in a way that didn't come off as confrontational.he’d put it off for weeks, not wanting to enrage her,instead, he tried to make her feel better by telling her stories and playing games, trying to enjoy the life they were currently living. there wasn't a lot to enjoy while on the road, trying to track down bad guys but that didn't mean they had to be miserable.enjoy the little things,he thought. good food, a bed, a bath, when you can get it. for a while he felt it was working. emily would even smile from time to time. but when they came across an enemy she completely changed, became cold and ruthless,more often than not she would leave no witnesses, which didn't sit right with harry. she'd called them enemy combatants and say they'd run to warn them they were coming and she was probably right but if it was up to harry he would've let them go. and probably gotten himself killed if he was honest. he was never meant to be in a war. which is why she was leading.maybe she'd always been this intense. she was intelligence and she was amazing at it. Harry had been truly awed by her records.  
She told him to go to spare him,he knows. but he won’t be defeated as easily.  
A couple of hours later, he finds her waiting for him,with dinner ready.  
They have a long talk. she realised leaving like that was dumb and that he was not going to simply go home. he tells her he understand the need for what he does but that he has always had a bleeding heart. he was never made to be in a war,she tells him. but here he is, and he asked for it, so she must lead and try to keep him safe.  
He has to agree to that. she has kept him safe. so she opens up a little and tells him about her parents, and some of the missions they went on,and how learning of their work made her join when the goverment offered to train her. she also tells him how she is happy to have him around, because he does make her feel better. more alive. her life has been more enjoyable since he’s been around. they are strange bedfellows but they are good ones that somehow seem to help one another.  
ACT IV  
It’s taken over a year, but they finally know where they can find Thomas. at least they think it’s him. Emily wants to discreetly go in and kill them all while Harry thinks they should let themselves be captured. it is while arguing that they fall into an ambush.  
The soldiers want nothing more than to kill them on the spot and they sure try but they move fast and Harry convinces them they are important and must be presented to their superiors, so they are tied and made to walk for a long time. it is completely dark and they are utterly lost,or at least that is how Harry feels when they finally walk into a shack somewhere.  
There are a lot of people in there. Harry looks at them and he finally understands. this is a council. that is why it always seemed they’d kill a leader only for another one to rise up the next day. at the same time, a plan forms in Emily’s head,thinking that if they can take them all out, there is a chance they can finally end this thing. the power vacuum might be enough to attack and bring them to their knees. Harry finally sees Thomas, and he looks different,older,hardened and literally scarred but looking into his eyes he still sees his old friend.   
Who are you,they ask while thomas asks him what he is doing here. and so the attention of the room shifts to Thomas, it becomes clear these are his prisoners.   
“I came looking for you” says Harry “You went missing, I was worried”  
Thomas comes forward and for half a second Harry thinks he’s going to hug him. but he doesn’t come anywhere close enough. he wants to look him, Harry thinks,but doesn’t dare come close.  
Thomas doesn’t speak. not until he takes his eyes off Harry for long enough to see Emily behind him “and who is she?”   
“She had her own reasons for seeking you out”  
Thomas smiles at them “Aren’t I popular?” he smiles at them both “Are you here to save me?”  
“I am. I think she wants to kill you”  
Thomas walks up to Emily at this, looks her up and down. “Would you like to duel,my dear? are you going to tell me how I killed one of your loved ones? are you here for revenge?”  
Emily nods “That is how it all started. but now I am giving Harry here the lead. without him we wouldn’t be here”  
He turns back to Harry “is that so?” he says, looking him straight in the eye “do tell me,dear friend, how do you plan to save me?”  
Harry doesn’t back down,staring back “Well, the way I see it, I can either talk you down from this ledge you’re on, or jump with you,”  
“With me? You, paragon of all that is good, want to join me if you can’t convince me to back down?”  
“I am walking out of this tent with you or I am not walking out at all” Harry’s voice is calm, and everyone can tell he’s telling the truth, that he is serious about this.  
Emily feels shocked and confused,what does this even mean and looking at Thomas’ face she can tell he is confused too. Apparently people trying to kill you in revenge is perfectly normal and expected but old friends showing up for the ultimate act of loyalty is not. once again she finds herself thinking about Harry and Thomas’ relationship, and how close they seemed from his stories.   
“I don’t think you should be here,Harry. War is no place for someone like you” he says, as calmly as he can.  
“I know” Harry responds “But I found I could no longer live without my t’hy’la, so if you truly have changed, if you do not want me here, then you’re going to have to kill me”  
“kill you?!” both Emily and Thomas ask, shocked. Emily notices this, Thomas does not, he’s too busy gasping at Harry  
“I told you, either I leave with you or not at all”

Thomas is visibly troubled by this. yes, having Harry around once more would be wonderful. but he doesn’t want to be here. and he is a weakness. but he can’t leave. Neither he or Harry would be allowed to leave unless it were in bodybags. He might be allowed to stay but that would only delay his death.  
So he pulls out his weapon and points at Harry. “I am sorry but as always,you are right. You’ll be better off if I kill you now” he tells him, his voice trembling.  
Harry nods.   
They stare at each other until it feels like forever. Thomas isn’t sure he can do this. he looks into Harry’s eyes and he thinks “I can’t do this” while another voice says “This is for the best”  
His weapon trembles;his arms hurts.  
He falls to his knees, crying.  
“I can’t do it, just kill me now”  
“I’ll be happy to concede that wish” a voice says from above and behind him. he turns around to see Emily smiling at him, arrow already nocked on her stolen bow.   
Thomas looks around him and sees nothing but bodies and blood. everyone’s dead.  
“What just happened?”  
“I killed everyone” she says, in way that says that it should be obvious  
“but...how? what.?” Thomas asks  
“I am very good. I only needed time, and Harry helped by distracting everyone with your little drama”  
“So what do you want?” he asks,coming back to himself “an apology?This is war and people die, you do what you must to win, victory at all cost, that is the aim,remember?” he tells her, then he starts crying again  
“Just kill me”  
She puts the bow down, picks up his knife.she's never looked more calm than right at this moment.she seems almost happy, holding a knife to his throat.  
“I am well aware of what it means to be at war. I am not looking for an apology. I don't even expect you to remember who my husband was. But I am not killing you” she suddenly decides,putting the knife now “you are suffering now, that’s what I want. I won’t end it.You’ll see your whole empire fall apart and you’ll pay.but while you killed my t’hy’la and that is not something I can ever forgive or even forget, I am not about to make some else suffer the same fate. I am not a villain” she says, and kicks him for good measure.   
She uses his knife to cut Harry’s ropes. “You are insane” she tells him “he could’ve killed you. well,any one of them could have”  
Heshrugs. “Maybe. I had one hand, I had to go all in”  
“You were ready to die. and you say I’m intense and ruthless and all that”  
“Maybe I learned it from you”  
Emily takes out her communicator, she has to get through to HQ immediately,this is what they have been waiting for.

ACT V  
They are in a safe house, waiting for extraction. Thomas is sleeping somewhere. he’s been in an out of it. it seems as though he’s shifting through personalities.  
"So what's next?"  
She shrugs  
"I didn't expect to survive"  
"And yet here you stand"  
She nods,thoughtfully  
“What do you think will happen to him?”  
“I’m not sure. he’ll need a psychiatric evaluation. maybe he was reprogrammed and it has broken. maybe he’s suffering from PTSD or dissociative disorder. anyway,he needs help.”  
“You’ll stay with him?”  
“I’m not letting him out of my sight”  
"It's not over,you know?"  
"Yeah, i know. but it is for me. I've done my part"   
He’s lucky,Emily reflects. all he ever wanted was Thomas back and he got him,broken as though he might be. there’s a chance. and she finds herself feeling optimistic, thinking maybe they can be happy again.   
she wishes she could feel that away about her life  
“I think I’ll stay” she tells him “They’re sending a small crew to do clean-up. they’ve asked me to lead them”  
“I think that is very good assigment for you” he says “but I hope things will eventually calm down and I don’t know, you’ll come home”  
She laughs  
“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. and I don’t have a home.”  
“I’ll tell you what. when I get home, I am looking for frankie’s family. I’m sure at least some of them must still be around. maybe I’ll take them to my place or set them up somewhere. and you can visit them. and me.   
or stay, if you like”

She stays silent for a while   
“It’s weird” she says,finally “thinking,talking about the future. I used to think it damned us”  
“It’s a whole new world” he tells her  
“I hope you’re right”

Their rescue comes, and off comes a whole crew of soldiers ready to follow Emily’s orders. they are surprised to see Thomas, one of the most feared persons in the world, as this young man who seems scared and hangs on to Harry’s hand.

They say goodbye before they board but then Emily runs to him, to give him a final hug and she tells him “I hope our time and place match again someday” he smiles at her and she stands there watching until the disappear.

**Author's Note:**

> Original meant to be about an HP AU fanfic of a Young Mcgonagall helping Dumbledore defeat Grindenwald, then they morphed to look more like Charless Xavier and Erik Lensherr while the main character ended up more like Peggy Carter. 
> 
> it takes place in a world war ii-inspired setting in great part thanks to the montmaray journals.


End file.
